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Needles and Pins (song)
"Needles and Pins" is a rock song credited to American writers Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono. Jackie DeShannon recorded it in 1963 and other versions followed, including by the Searchers, Smokie, the Ramones, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks. Jackie DeShannon version (1963) In his autobiography, Bono states that he sang along with Nitzsche's guitar-playing, thus creating both the tune and the lyrics, being guided by the chord progressions.Sonny Bono, And the Beat Goes On (New York: Pocket Books, 1991). However, Jackie DeShannon claims that the song was written at the piano, and that she was a full participant in the song's creation, along with Nitzsche and Bono, although she did not get formal credit. DeShannon was the first to record the song; in the US it peaked at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 1963.Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990, Record Research, Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1991 Though it was only a minor US hit, DeShannon's recording of the song topped the charts in Canada, hitting number one on the CHUM Chart in 1963. The Searchers version (1964) (UK) | format = 7-inch single | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = *Jangle pop *merseybeat *British rock and roll | length = 2:14 | label = *Pye (UK) *Kapp (US) | writer = *Jack Nitzsche *Sonny Bono | producer = Tony Hatch | prev_title = Sweet Nothins | prev_year = 1963 | next_title = Don't Throw Your Love Away | next_year = 1964 }} The Searchers heard British performer Cliff Bennett perform "Needles and Pins" at a club in Hamburg, Germany , and instantly wanted it to be their next single. The Pye Records single was released in January 1964. It was number one in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States. Soon after, in April 1964, "Needles and Pins" appeared on the Searchers' next album, It's the Searchers. Audible during the Searchers' recording of "Needles and Pins" is a faulty bass drum pedal, which squeaks throughout the song. It is particularly noticeable during the opening of the number. Part of The Searchers' version can be heard as the intro of the song "Use the Man" from Megadeth's Cryptic Writings album, although it does not appear on the remastered version. A German version sung by The Searchers is called Tausend Nadelstiche https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyskU5OfE-E Smokie version (1977) In 1977, at the height of their popularity, English rock band Smokie recorded the song as a rock ballad for the album Bright Lights and Back Alleys, and got a European hit with "Needles and Pins". The song reached number one in some European countries. Later, ex-Smokie vocalist Chris Norman included his solo cover of the song on his studio album Full Circle (2000). Ramones version (1978) The Ramones included "Needles and Pins" on their 1978 album Road to Ruin. Their version was also included on the band's first greatest hits collection, Ramones Mania. In turn, pop-punk band The Commercials recorded the song for the tribute album Ramones Maniacs. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers version (1985; live) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their first live album in 1985 called Pack Up the Plantation: Live! where singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks performed on "Needles and Pins" with Tom Petty at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. References Category:1963 singles Category:1964 singles Category:Jackie DeShannon songs Category:Jangle pop songs Category:Ramones songs Category:Tom Petty songs Category:The Searchers (band) songs Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Songs written by Sonny Bono Category:Liberty Records singles Category:Pye Records singles Category:MCA Records singles Category:Cher songs Category:1963 songs Category:Songs written by Jack Nitzsche Category:Song recordings produced by Ed Stasium Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Chapman Category:Song recordings produced by Tony Hatch Category:Song recordings produced by Tommy Ramone Category:Stevie Nicks songs